Queen of Kings
by Celebwen Telcontar
Summary: The Myrmidons don't leave when Achilles tells them to leave, instead they await for him to return. When he doesn't, they elect a new leader. Better than it sounds, honestly! Please review.
1. Grieving and Introductions

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Okay, here's a new story. It deals with what could happen if the Myrmidons hadn't left and if Briseis was a warrior woman, as some of the other fics put her as. The horses are going to be main characters in the story.**_

_**Balrog: Horses?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: You'll meet them later on. Read on, my friends!

* * *

**_

As Paris ran from the tunnel, he saw about thirty five to forty wall-armed men having captured the refugees of Troy.

"My Lady!" one of them cried, seeing Briseis.

"Eudorus?" she asked.

"My Lady, is our Lord...?"

"He's dead, Eudorus." The Greek men's faces went white with shock.

"Then you are our Lady. We will follow your command as we followed Achilles." His voice was disbelieving and in shock. The Trojan survivor's mouths dropped open.

"Briseis! Lead the Myrmidons! Who dropped you on your heads!" Paris cried. Briseis glared at him, and stepped away.

"Do not insult these men. My men. Next time I won't be so considerate." Helen ran over to Briseis.

"What do they mean, you're their Lady?"

"She's our leader, now that Achilles and Patroclus are both dead," Eudorus explained, as if it was a very obvious thing.

"Please, release them," Briseis said. She gulped, the pain of Achilles' death hitting her hard.

"Come, My Lady. We will go to the Burning Ceremony, and then, if you wish to, Phita."

"Thank you, Eudorus," she said. Then, her face white, she turned to go back into the tunnel. "Come with me. I'll take you to where he fell." she said. The Myrmidons followed her without question.

Paris knew that she was not the meek and submissive woman she appeared to be. Being a woman was her greatest handicap: if she had been born a man, the Greeks wouldn't have stood a chance at survival.

He remembered his classmate, Brimus, and how he never could be found outside of class. Then, he found his cousin, Briseis, fighting without a helmet in Brimus's armor with Hector on Mt. Ida. When she put on the helmet, her identity changed completely from Briseis to Brimus. She had often snuck into arms class, and was probably better than Hector had been with the sword. Given time, Briseis' true nature would come forward, and anyone opposing the Myrmidons would have to be suicidal. He shuddered; his cousin, who he had just killed the lover of, was now the leader of the fiercest warriors in the Aegean. He needed to flee Troy with his refugees as soon as possible or he may not live to see another day. He saw two black shapes in the form of horses melt away from the shadows and backed from them, knowing that if he were to get into their way, they would kill him without hesitating. They followed the Myrmidons into the tunnel, and Paris waited for the screams of horses teeth entering and rending Myrmidon flesh. They never came.

* * *

Briseis climbed to the pyre with Odysseus. She placed a kiss on Achilles' still lips, and Odysseus placed two coins on his eyes for the boatman. Then, she took one of the two torches in her hand, and Odysseus took the other. They touched the fire to either side of the Greek warrior's body, and watched the smoke and flames lick the sky.

Briseis climbed down, Odysseus following, and she went to stand with the Myrmidons and her two faithful black mares, Enyo and Areia. Both mares were insanely bloodthirsty monsters, and it was all Briseis could do to keep them from literally devouring the Trojans and Greeks they came across. Now that she was the Lady of the Myrmidons, she was going to follow her childhood dream of being a lady warrior. She had even attended weapons classes in armor, using the pseudonym Brimus, in order to learn the required skills for being a warrior woman. During the time she posed as a guard for the Trojans, she had been able to get the people and the army to follow her without a fault. Now she was in her coveted role, but she was alone, without her beloved Achilles.

Eudorus was impossible to read, but she could see the pain in his eyes, as in all of the Myrmidon's. She felt like crying, but managed to get her emotions under control, or at least she thought she did, until a warm drop of water spilled down her cheek. She saw that many of the Greeks were also crying, and all were sober and standing in respectful silence as the fire took the body of the dead hero.

The stars came out, and the moon rose; the fire died down and the smoke thickened. Briseis and her men went to their tents, and they went to sleep. Enyo and Areia followed, after Briseis told the two bloodthirsty horses to keep calm and not kill anyone.

* * *

Briseis couldn't sleep no matter what she did. The fact that Paris had killed Achilles was burned into her mind. She felt part of herself die, and let it, keeping her Brimus self, the hard part of her soul, out so as not to get hurt or shame herself in front of her men. When she was younger, before she went in for the priesthood, she had wanted to be a warrior. Now that dream was coming true, but she had to lose the one she loved for it to come to pass.

"Enyo, Areia. My mares," she whispered, coming out to place a hand on each of their necks.

"Your horses, My Lady?" Eudorus asked.

"I've had them since they were fillies. I found both Enyo and Areia feral on the slopes of Mt. Ida, and they were barely old enough to be away from their mother. Both horses are vicious to anyone I don't personally tell them to be nice to." As she spoke, Areia turned her head and looked at Nestor. The old councilor stared at the black mare, and Areia walked calmly over to the late Agamemnon's counselor. "Areia! Come back here!" The mare glared at the councilor and walked back, nearly biting Eudorus. "Now, none of that! Be nice!" She placed a blanket on Enyo's back, and vaulted on. The mare pranced in place, then settled down. "I'll be back. Finish loading the boat. Areia, listen to Eudorus!" The barebacked mare looked mournfully up at Briseis. "I mean it." Areia gave a disappointed sigh and nuzzled Eudorus, who looked very surprised. "Both horses are remarkably intelligent, probably as intelligent as a human. Come, Enyo. Let's go." The black mare shot off, and ran like she had never done before.

* * *

The city was mostly charred and burned to the ground, but the palace still stood. Enyo trotted up the streets, and Briseis relaxed enough to let a few tears spill from her eyes and a sob to rack her body. A Greek looter was near the palace gates, and Enyo gave Briseis no warning as she sprinted forward and grasped his neck in her teeth, shearing down. Before Briseis could react, the mare's mouth was bloody, and the looter was dead from a broken neck.

"Enyo!" Briseis scolded. The carnivorous horse laid back her ears and lowered her head, her muzzle dripping blood and spinal fluid. "You are far too vicious for your own good. But I suppose that that's a good thing, seeing as I'm going to be a warrior woman after all." There was a thunder of hooves, and Areia came catapulting around the bend, barebacked and without any trappings whatsoever. "Areia! What is the meaning of this! Did you run away from Eudorus? I told you to listen to him!" The mare neighed and tossed her head, cantering beside her twin. They entered the palace gates, and Briseis found her old chariot, unblemished and brilliant bronze, in the stable, then hitched the black mares to the vehicle. "Stay here. No wandering off," she said. The mares stood placidly as Briseis ran into the palace, getting her armor and arms. She wore her armor alone, and carried several dresses in a bag. Her shield was over her back, and her sword was strapped beneath it. She carried two spears, and wore a brilliant bronze and black horsehair helm. The plume looked like a pitchy comet streaming behind her, and she had silver decorations in the armor. She knew she looked like a demon incarnate in the armor, with her black horses, black hair, bronze armor and chariot. She cried a command and flipped the reins, and the savage mares sprang forth, leaving a trail of dust and the city of Troy behind.

* * *

_**Celebwen Telcontar: So, how was that one?**_

_**Balrog: I don't get it. What's with the killer horses?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Do you remember when Heracles had to do the labors? His eighth labor was to dispose of the mares of Diomedes. The mares were man-eating and vicious, and they were scattered to the four corners of the globe. Enyo and Areia are two fillies from two of the Mares. The sire I believe would be Oeneus, the river-god of Mt. Ida, thus ensuring their intelligence as well as their viciousness. **_

_**Balrog: Okay. Maybe the god was Ares.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: You could be right. Ares in the form of a stallion having covered one of the four man-eating mares of Diomedes. And the mare somehow wound up on Mt. Ida, had two fillies, and the young and brash Briseis found them and raised them. **_

_**Balrog: Okay, I don't like them all that much.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Not many do. And Eudorus is still in one piece. Areia did not kill him, she only ran away from him to go to Troy and look for Briseis. Please review, people!**_


	2. A plan

_**Celebwen Telcontar: This is the newest update in Queen of Kings. The two diabolical horses, Enyo and Areia, are going to be major characters in the story. **_

_**Balrog: Who's Diomedes?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: When Heracles was sent to do his Labors, he had to deal with a man named Diomedes. This man had four mares that he had trained to devour all who came trespassing. As far as I'm concerned, one of the mares taught her peculiar eating habits to her twin fillies, Enyo and Areia. **_

_**Balrog: I see. I'll stay away from them from now on. It seems Eudorus can handle them, though.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Yes, they have taken a liking to Eudorus. **_

_**Balrog: Do you own anything here?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Enyo, Areia, and… that's about it in this chapter. The next one though, I will own a character besides the horses.

* * *

**_

Enyo kicked at her stall, and Eudorus, now able to handle the two savage mares with ease and not be dismembered, set his hand on her nose. Briseis was up on deck, enjoying the breeze, and the Myrmidon could hear the ropes straining at the sails.

The Lady of the Myrmidons came down the ladder, and she came to Eudorus.

"Easy, Enyo. It's just a ship. Eudorus, Agamemnon is dead, by my hand, and so his son Orestes must be ruling Mycenae. Menelaus' son, Aethiolas, must be ruling Sparta for his father. From my knowledge, Orestes and Aethiolas aren't as strong as their fathers, politically speaking, and so the Greek empire is probably dissolving as we speak. Right now would be high time for any of Greece's enemies to attack, and find us vulnerable."

"My Lady?" Eudorus asked, not knowing what to make of the strange conversation.

"Don't worry, Eudorus, I am getting somewhere. Greece was a very formidable fighting force, while Agamemnon held the throne and kept the kings together in the alliance. Separate, the Greek kingdoms are just targets for our enemies to pick off, one by one. If I can re-unite the kings of Greece, then we won't be just a big mess inviting the Hittites or other invaders. By your estimation, can we get the islands and kingdoms on the way home to be our allies and so re-cement the alliance, only under the Myrmidons?"

"There may be. The Ithacan ships are on our starboard side, and their king, Odysseus, was a good friend of Achilles. He may be able to help us."

"Can we alert him to land on the nearest island so that we can talk to him about this?"

"We can try." He nodded to her, and she stroked her mare's necks. _I like how she thinks. A re-alliance between the Greek kings, under her, might not be a bad idea. It might not be bad at all. Now, how to ask Odysseus to land on the nearest island? _"My Lady?"

"Yes?"

"May I tell the oarsmen to row us close to Odysseus' ship to tell him to land on the nearest island?"

"Yes. Excellent idea, Eudorus."

* * *

Odysseus climbed to the deck when one of his men called down to say that the Myrmidon ship wanted to talk to him.

"We'll land on the next island to speak. Tell the Myrmidons and the other Ithacans that."

"Yes, sir." The Ithacan ran to tell the Myrmidons, who were near enough to nearly scrape sails with the Ithacans, what Odysseus had said.

The beach at Lemnos was deserted save the woman exercising a black savage mare, and the Myrmidons relaxing on the beach, save Eudorus who was standing near an unusually tranquil Areia. Odysseus' ship came up on the beach, and Enyo neighed. Areia whinnied, and Eudorus backed away quickly. The malicious mares ran to stand near each other and their mistress, while the other Ithacan ships scraped up on the beach. Odysseus jumped down, and the woman told the two mares to stay there, and she came up to him.

"Odysseus of Ithaca. I am Briseis of Troy, now Briseis Lady of the Myrmidons. I asked you to come here because I would like to re-form the alliance that was under High King Agamemnon, only this one under the Myrmidons. Odysseus, the Hittites and all of Greece's enemies are right on our doorstep. The longer we remain divided, the longer they have to attack and invade Greece. I'm hoping that you will be able to help me put some sense in the other kings."

"It's an excellent plan, Lady Briseis." Odysseus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And I agree with the fact that together we are far stronger then we are divided. I will help you." He smiled and reached out to pat Areia's neck.

"Don't—" she began, when Eudorus slapped Odysseus' hand away just as Areia's teeth almost closed on the Ithacan king's arm. The mare looked at Eudorus as if he had wronged her somehow.

"Are your horses related to the mares of Diomedes?" Odysseus asked conversationally.

"I think so. The first time I sent a groom to deal with them, we never found all of him, just some of his bones. The next time, I groomed them, after hearing that a different groom had a crippled hand from Enyo's teeth. I found them abandoned on Mt. Ida, and raised them." Areia rubbed her nose against her mistress's dress, and Enyo playfully nipped Eudorus' hair. The Myrmidon responded to this unusual show of affection by patting her cheek gently, stroking her neck hairs. Odysseus looked on disbelief. "What can I say? They like Eudorus. But no one else.

* * *

He felt the soft sand under his toes give and shape; the sound of waves on the bank was musical and soft. Achilles looked to the sound, and saw a dark wooden barge powered by a single man punting it across. The man was in shadows, his face shrouded by a hood. The hands gripping the punting pole were all but skeletal, and he beckoned with a free hand as he lifted the pole up to push against the bottom of the river again.

"Charon?" Achilles asked. The cloaked figure nodded and held out a hand. Achilles dropped the two coins into the hand, and the Boatman placed them in his robe, beckoning the late hero onto the barge. Then, after Achilles had taken a seat on the massive floating vessil, Charon took up his post at what had been the front of the barge and was now the rear, and began to punt his way back across the River Styx.

Just before they docked, Achilles heard a grating voice, more hiss than vocalization, from Charon's direction.

"Someone will be along shortly to take you into the Halls," the voice said. The sound of it sent a shivver of fear up Achilles' spine, it was so loathsome and terrible. Like hearing a dead and decrepit corpse talk to you.

"Thank you," Achilles said to the Boatman.

"My pleasure," the Boatman hiss/spoke again. Achilles hastened off the ship and Charon took his seat at what was now the rear of the boat again, and began to count his money.

Achilles took stock of where he was, and saw that he was on the front porch of a massive villa. The pillars towered to unknown heights, and the grass was green and lush. The white wood doors opened wide silently of their own accord, and a wind seemed to push him towards the open doors. Inside, he could see a figure swathed in blue cloth, his feet encased in black leather sandals.

"Welcome, Brother," a familiar gruff voice said. The blue clothed figure stepped into the torchlight, and Achilles nearly yelped.

"Hector!" he gasped. The Prince of Troy nodded his head.

"Come." A younger boy stepped into the light beside Hector, a look of ashamed apprehension on his face.

"Patroclus! Never do that again, do you hear me!" Achilles roared, gripping Patroclus' shoulders and shaking him soundly. Then, he embraced his young cousin, placing a fierce kiss on his forehead.

"Come, brother. Námo, known to the Greeks and Trojans as Hades, will be wanting you to come to hold audience with him, as he does with every new member of Mandos."

"Mandos?"

"This land. The world where spent souls may find peace. He is a benevolent ruler, and does all he can to make his subjects find peace. Unless of course they do not deserve peace; such as the redoubtable Melkor, a sibling of Námo."

"What about Agamemnon?"

"He and Menelaus are in one of the...less desirable wings of the Halls," Patroclus replied.

"You may have noticed that we still have bodies. We do not have to eat, but we may. Your actions in death are determined by your actions in life. Agamemnon has been set to stay in a room with a group of vultures pecking at his flesh," Hector explained. "We have been set to wandering the halls if we choose, and have suites to our liking. We are able to manipulate our surroundings—" Hector beckoned at a wall and a trio of dun stallions were formed from mist, each having bridles and blankets on their backs. Patroclus mounted swiftly, followed by Hector. "The horses are fine. I created them, and anything created here has to serve their master."

"But you're his master."

"I told him to obey you," Hector replied. Achilles swung onto the stallion's back, and the horse tossed his head. "Come. We must return to the suite Námo has given you." Hector touched his hand to his mount's neck and the stallion whinnied and turned in a perfect circle. Hector then led Achilles and Patroclus to a long dark hallway, lit by flickering torchlight.

Suddenly, the scene changed. He saw a black horse reaching out to bite Odysseus' arm; Eudorus slapped Odysseus' arm away, and a long pale hand laid itself on the horse's nose. Then, he saw that the hand belonged to Briseis, his beloved Briseis. She looked quite dead inside, and her eyes no longer held a spark of life, only a glint of calculating coldness. When she spoke, her voice was as hard as rock, and as cold as ice.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, the vision stopped. Achilles blinked several times to reorient himself in the hallway; Hector and Patroclus were looking at him.

"Did you have a vision of the mortal world?" Hector asked. "Here we observe Mortal affairs. Flame is the most reliable, but mirrors and liquid work. In flame, unlike in mirrors and liquid, we can hear what is being said."

"I saw Briseis, a black horse trying to bite Odysseus, and Eudorus."

"Well, she still has one if not both of her diabolical horses. I pity whoever is riding with her. Areia, one of the mares, devoured a groom once. And Enyo, the other mare, crippled a groom for life. Only Briseis can properly care for them without fear of being eaten."

"By the Gods!" Achilles cried. "Ate a... _groom?_ I thought horses were herbivores!"

"They are. Those two bloodthirsty animals are the descendants of the mares of Diomedes, though. They're carnivorous. Can you see this scar here?" He pulled down on his tunic's collar to almost his shoulder. There, on the upper right-hand side of his chest, almost on the shoulder, was a large scar, and the skin was deformed. "This was from Enyo's teeth. I tried to deal with them once, being a horse-tamer, and the mare bit me, breaking my collarbone and shoulder. It took about two months to heal, and the mare literally ate the skin she had ripped off."

"Dear Gods. Why did you let her keep them?"

"They were being tended on Mt. Ida by who we thought was a budding soldier: Brimus. Instead, it was Briseis, in armor. She showed all of us up, including me. Besides you, she's the only person who can defeat me in fair combat."

"She can defeat you? Why didn't she fight the Greek soldiers who held her captive, then?"

"She didn't have a weapon. If she had a weapon, she would have been better than them, and would have left them dead. She killed Agamemnon, you know."

"I know. I saw."

"She certainly has style."

"Most definentally."

_Oh, Gods. What did I eat? _Briseis was hanging over the side of the ship, loosing the last meal she had.

_My Lady, are you seasick? _Eudorus asked, coming up.

_I've never gotten seasick. I don't know what it is, _she mumbled, dry heaving. Enyo and Aeria were next to her, Aeria's nose right next to her mistresses' shoulder.

"What happened! They were just on an island!" Achilles roared.

"Here time passes differently. If you don't keep an eye on the surroundings, they change quickly. I'd say it's been about two and a half months since the fall of Troy." Hector opened a door and pushed Achilles and Patroclus in, closing it behind him. In the center of the room there was an emmence cauldron which ignited as soon as Achilles looked at it. He soon was watching the people in the Mortal Realms.

* * *

_**Balrog: I don't understand Briseis' sickness. Did she eat some undercooked chicken or something? Sometimes half-metamorphosed marble will make me sick.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: She's human, not a Balrog. As for what's ailing her, you'll have to see.**_

_**Balrog: Will the Odyssey be playing a part in this?**_

**_Celebwen Telcontar: No. It won't. Odysseus follows the Myrmidons to Ithaca, and Briseis becomes friends with Penelope, Odysseus' wife. _**

_**Balrog: What about the two hellhorses?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: You'll see. Now I am not answering any more questions! Out, out I say! And listen to me, or you'll get a face full of glacial runoff! Until next time, readers! Please review!**_


	3. Becoming a Queen

_**Celebwen Telcontar: A new chapter in Queen of Kings. Now, you'll get to witness the birth of the Princess of Kings!**_

_**Balrog: And I wanted to?**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Balrog! Be nice! Please review, people.**_

Briseis' eyes narrowed and she stood tall in the chariot. Eudorus held the reins to Enyo and Areia, and as the two black mares catapulted forward, she stared at the Mycenaean's that were arrayed before her. Clytemnestra was standing in the back, she was sure, and Agamemnon's son, Orestes, was in the front of the lines, being driven in his chariot by his charioteer.

"Drive to him; make him stop and parley with us."

"What do you want, _woman?_" Orestes asked, ridicule in his voice.

"I have come for your lands. As your father wanted to rule all of Greece, I, as the woman who brought him to the Boatman, if he ever got there, wish to own his lands. I will not leave until this land is mine."

"With a mob of Ithacans and Myrmidons?" Orestes laughed. Enyo looked back at Eudorus, as did her sister.

"No," he said, his voice brooking no argument. Both horses sounded defeated when they sighed. Orestes looked at the mares.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think your horses were trying to rule your men for you!" the pompous king's son sneered.

"They're smarter than you think, _child_," Briseis said, contempt in her voice.

"Turn about," Orestes said abruptly. His charioteer wheeled the horses and drove back to the lines, where the king cried out: "Charge! Wipe these miserable idiots off of our lands!" Briseis cried her own charge, gripped her spear, and let it fly as Orestes came into range.

Her spear went right through his solar plexus, knocking him off of the chariot and into the dirt. He spat up some blood as the Myrmidons and Ithacans, led by Odysseus, charged and easily routed the now leaderless Mycenaean's, most of which joined up with the Ithacans and Myrmidons. It was only a matter of time now before all of Greece was under her control.

As Briseis came into the throne room, her abdomen gave a sharp twitch.

"What the!" she muttered, confused and angry as to why her body was doing things she didn't want it to. She had been ill, then she started eating more than she was used to, now she was getting fat and her abdomen was coming to life! Why wouldn't her body obey her as her men did?

Suddenly, she drew in a sharp breath. Andromache, when she had been expecting Astyanax, had the same things done to her. She also blew up like a pig's bladder when used as a toy for youngsters. Come to think of it, Andromache had lost her monthly bleeding when she was pregnant. Briseis hadn't had her bleeding in about five months. Everything added up. She was pregnant. With Achilles' child. She put her head in her hands.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered to no one as she sank onto the Lion Throne. She was terrified. Men, she could handle. Soldiers, she could command. A sword and spear, she was expert with. A shield she could use as easily as breathing. But she could not handle children. She had no idea how to deal with them. Frankly, they were the only force in the world that scared her. Put her in front of a battalion of armed men, and she would fight fearlessly until her last breath was dragged from her body. Put her in front of a green soldier, and she could teach him how to fight and defend himself. Put her in front of a child, and she would all but flee. There was no _order_ to them. They didn't have a schedule, or a way to shut them off when they were screaming senselessly. They had to be carried around everywhere.

"My Lady?" Odysseus said.

"Odysseus, no 'My Lady's' or other crap around me, please."

"Briseis?"

"Yes?" _Thank the gods, someone to take my mind off of the child!_

"It seems to me that you need some assistance. My wife, in Ithaca, would be happy to help you. She's been through pregnancy before. Even if only once."

"I am indebted to you, Odysseus! Thank you!" The Ithacan king bowed and she was sure she saw a slight smile on his face. Her stomach lurched, and she looked around to find Eudorus with a pot in his hand tactfully holding it out to her. She took it, and used it to empty the contents of her stomach, as was her want nowadays with the child.

_What am I going to do?_ she thought, trying in vain to keep her scattered thoughts from fleeing.

Achilles looked down at Briseis.

"She's pregnant?" a voice asked. He turned to find Hector.

"I believe so."

"Oh, no. Oh, no."

"What?"

"She can't handle children. Doesn't know the first thing about them."

"Didn't you have a son?"

"Yes, Astyanax. But when Briseis first held him, she nearly dropped him. She nearly had a nervous breakdown when he wouldn't stop crying. Andromache had to take him from her because she was literally terrified of my son."

"Oh, Gods," Achilles muttered in horror. He saw her put her head in her hands.

"She needs to get rid of her one fear, children. Having a child will definitely aid her overcoming that particular fear."

"Or kill the child," Priam's voice called form the "doorway". Achilles glanced at the Trojan king, and said simply:

"I refuse to believe that. My child will grow—"

"You can't be a father!" Hector laughed. "You're dead!"

"I can watch my child grow! So what if I can't interact with him?"

"Or her?" Priam said. "Don't forget that having a child can mean either having a son or a daughter?"

"And if it is a daughter I will love her just as much as if she were a son."

He looked into the fire, and saw Briseis walking into the stable, where Eudorus was grooming Enyo and Areia.

Enyes, Enyo's colt, was nursing at his mother's side, and came to head butt Briseis, whickering his happiness. Enyo walked over and whinnied, whuffing into her hair. Eudorus patted Enyo's neck and turned to Areia.

"They're comforting her, better than anyone else can," Hector said in wonder. "I've never seen horses so loyal to one person as them."

"I do hope Enyo didn't pass her eating habbits to her colt," Priam said emphatically. "We don't need another killer horse."

"He'll be as good a warrior as his dam if he is," Achilles said.

"And as useful. I've never seen a more useful pair of horses in warfare as those two mares. Did you see how they ripped apart the Thessalean army?"

"I did, King."

"Please, call me Priam. I didn't have anything to do with that blasted war, and since we're both looking at the same woman, hoping she succeeds, I think we should be a name basis?" Priam said.

"Alright then, Priam."

Briseis ground her teeth as the pain washed over her. It was not as painful as a spear in the leg, but it was very excruciating. Enyo and Areia looked over her, worried, as the midwife encouraged the Queen of Kings to push again. Enyo snorted, and Areia nuzzled her.

"Come on, Highness. Just one more; I can see the head." Briseis took a deep breath, held it, and pushed with all her might. She felt a tear, and cried out with the pain, and Enyo caught her as she was about to fall. "One more, for the body, and then another for the afterbirth." Briseis felt the midwife reach in and grab the baby's shoulders. She pushed, and felt the baby's body slide out, followed by an excruciating shove as the placenta followed.

The Queen of Kings collapsed on the birthing couch, and was handed the baby girl. She was screaming and flailing her tiny red fists, and Enyo summoned up a disgruntaled snort as the baby kicked her in the nose with her flailing legs.

"Highness, put her to your breast. She needs to eat!" the midwife said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Briseis did, and she felt the pain as the baby latched onto the nipple and began to suckle. Warmth washed out from Briseis' chest as she looked at the baby.

"Theogone," she whispered. "My little Theogone. What am I going to do with you?"

"Raise her!" the midwife cried.

"What is happening to me? What did you do to me, little one? Eh, Theogone?" Briseis felt like she would want to keep her daughter safe, no matter what.

"It's the maternal instinct, Highness," the midwife said, almost laughing. Apparently, she had never seen a woman so frightened and confused of her child that she was nearly laughing. Briseis glared at her.

_**Celebwen Telcontar: How was that chapter?**_

_**Balrog: Not all that bad, but it could be better. **_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: Silence. Please leave a nice juicy review, people! Next chapter will have a bit of a time jump in it!**_


	4. Queen of Kings

_**Celebwen Telcontar: This is the last chapter of my Queen of Kings fic.**_

_**Balrog: Use it wisely.**_

_**Celebwen Telcontar: That I will. Please leave a review. I don't own Troy. Or the Iliad.**_

"Well, what do you say?" Theogone asked. She stared at her mother, who was the Queen of Kings in all Greece. She had fought her way up, every inch of the social ladder to be in Mycenae where she was now.

"Sicily would be a good addition to my lands," Briseis said.

"So would the Tucsonans, the Hittites, the Egyptians, et cetera!" Theogone laughed. "You can't have the whole world, Mother! It's too big; even for you!" the girl cried.

"I don't want the whole world, Theogone. I just want to make it so that I can eliminate all usurpers to my throne."

"What about me?" Theogone asked, her voice sardonic.

"Not you, dear. You're fine as is."

"Be careful, Queen of Kings. You might overlook someone."

"I won't." She lifted her eyebrows as her Herald entered. "What is it, Tereus?"

"Pharaoh Ankhenaten and his son Horemheb have arrived in port."

"Thank you. Show them in." The herald left and the Pharaoh and Crown Prince of Upper and Lower Egypt were shown in.

"My Lady, High Queen Briseis of Mycenae," Ankhenaten said, bowing low. His son did the same. "I have come to request a peace between Greece and Egypt."

"I thank you. Will you join the Mycenaeans for a grand banquet in the honor of Peace?" Briseis said. She called for her herald, and had him tell the kitchens to make a feast. Tereus bowed himself out and went to the kitchens.

"We shall accept, Cousin," he said, using the title used between royalties. "I have also come to request your daughters hand for my son. A peace can easily be cemented between us by the marriage between your daughter and my son."

"I will see what I can do. If such a wedding is decided upon, they must remain in Greece."

"That is no large request. It shall be."

"Good. Theogone, what have you to say about this?"

"I will decide after meeting with the Crown Prince in less... diplomatic situations."

"I will await your answer, my daughter. Now, if this peace can be made, each enemy of Greece shall be the enemy of Egypt, and so you shall come when we call. Each enemy of Egypt shall be the enemy of Greece, and so we shall send an army when you call for protection. There will be a member of the Egyptian Royal family living in Mycenae, and a battalion of my soldiers living in Egypt for both diplomatic and militant purposes." Ankhenaten nodded, and Briseis called for Sagaris, one of her servants, to take the diplomatic envoy to their rooms.

Achilles and Hector looked in the fire, and Hector began to laugh.

"She's done very well. I knew she was a natural leader, but I never dreamed that she would usurp Agamemnon as the Queen of Kings. And now she's got Egypt!"

"I'm proud of her," Achilles said, grinning. "And my little Theogone."

"Both of them are natural leaders."

"I like what she's done with the Myrmidons."

"I never dreamed that she would even become the Lady of the Myrmidons, much less what she is today. Oh, here come Paris and Helen!" he called. The Trojan monarchs moored their ship at the docks, and the Trojan envoy exited from the ship.

_Back to making treaties with Greeks. Let's just hope this Queen of Kings will be a good ally for Troy._

_She's probably some relative of Agamemnon. It would make sense._

_Gods, I hope I don't mess this up! _Paris said fervently. Achilles and Hector looked on with interest.

"I wonder if he knows that the Queen of Kings is Briseis!"

"Probably not. My little brother wouldn't be bothering with a treaty, only with a familial visit, if he knew."

_There's nothing that can go wrong, as far as I know, Paris, _Helen commented. With them were their son Hector and their daughter Hecubae.

_I wonder where Briseis is. Last I saw, she was the Lady of the Myrmidons. _

_She's probably in Phita with her Myrmidons. I wonder if she ever married?_

"No, she didn't, Helen. She loves Achilles to much to marry," Hector said, earning a look from said warrior. At that moment, one of the Myrmidons, Eudorus, approached.

_Paris and Helen, envoys to Mycenae from Troy. We greet you. Unfortunately, the Queen of Kings is unavailable right now. If you would like to speak with the Princess of Kings then you may._

_Princess of Kings?_

_The daughter of the Queen of Kings. Princess Theogone of Mycenae and the Greek Kingdom._

_Yes, we will discuss matters with the Princess then if possible with the Queen._

_Good. Come, I will have Proetus bring you to your guest chambers. _

Priam entered the 'room', and took a seat near his son.

"Father. Have you been watching the fire lately?"

"No."

"Where was Briseis when you last saw her in the Fire?"

"Leading the Myrmidons in an attack against the Greeks. She already had Queen Penelope's support for Ithaca, and she herself was in Phita."

"Well, you've missed quite a bit then. Our Briseis, our Priestess of Apollo, is now the Queen of Kings. She rules over all Greece. Her word is law. She is about to make a treaty and bring Egypt into the meld. Paris and Helen are about to make a treaty with her, bringing Troy, or what is left of it, under her jurisdiction. They have no clue that Briseis is the Queen of Kings."

"They're in for a shock," Achilles said. Priam could say nothing. He stared into the fire as Paris and Helen were taken to the Throne Room and introduced to the delegates Ankhenaten and Horemheb. Briseis and Theogone were sitting in the shadows.

"Who's the girl sitting by Briseis?"

"Her daughter, Theogone."

"So Briseis married."

"No, she didn't. Theogone is Achilles' daughter." Priam looked at the Greek hero, and raised his eyebrows.

"I see."

_In the past, Greece and Troy have been adversaries. Now we strive for peace. Princess Theogone and myself would uphold this peace. Would you do the same, Paris King of Troy?_ Briseis' voice rang out through the chambers. Priam, Achilles and Hector were riveted to the flames to see what would happen next.

Paris' eyes went wide, and as Briseis stood in the strong candlelight, the Trojan king shook his head and blinked his eyes.

_Briseis...? _he asked, completely confused.

_Yes, I am Queen Briseis of Mycenae. Born Briseis of Troy into the family of Brimus brother of King Priam of Troy. _

_Briseis... You are... High Queen... Queen of Kings... Of Mycenae... By the Gods... How did this happen? _Helen managed.

_I became Lady of the Myrmidons, then I decided that Greece needed a new ruler. I started by making friends with Queen Penelope, and from there I began to conquer all of the lands of Greece. I moved into Mycenae about eight and a half years ago. The Greek nation, under me, is far stronger than it was under Agamemnon. He just wanted power. I want power and the good of the people. Will you join me in this alliance to come when I call, and to be my ally in fact as well as in name?_

_Briseis, you... I will. I know better than to oppose you in either sparring or politics._

_Good. Will you join us for a banquet with the Egyptian Pharaoh? He has a son just a couple years older than your daughter._

_How do you know about Hecubae? _

_My spies are the best out there. I know her name is Hecubae, you have a son named Hector, Helen is once again pregnant—Congratulations, by the way—and you are building a new community on Mt. Ida._

_I see. All of your information is correct, somehow. You also seem different, harder, and the cousin I knew is gone._

_She died the night you killed Achilles. I became the Lady of the Myrmidons, a different person than the one who used to run through Troy, carefree._

_What about Brimus? Are you more he than you?_

_I suppose you could say that. Brimus was a guard, and was hard-hearted. He is another aspect of my personality, the main part of me nowadays. Briseis is no more. Now I am Queen of Kings, and have no time to run through city halls, or yell at family. This is mainly about the alliance, and me trying not to kill you._

"As you can see, Father, Briseis has made a name for herself. She's usurped Agamemnon, and become Queen in his place."

"She's so much better than he was. I would fight for her in an eye blink," Achilles put in.

"As would any who know her. She's also united all of Greece, Troy, and Egypt. She has her eyes on Sicily, Tuscany, and Italy as well."

"My Gods!" Priam cried. "She's going to rule all of the world!"

"Perhaps. It wouldn't be too far a stretch of the imagination to see that she rules the world. Remember how she was better in many subjects than I was, when she dressed as Brimus, the young guard?"

"I always wondered who Brimus was, and why he was never around when I wanted to talk to him."

"Brimus. Briseis. Same person."

A man ran into the room. _My Lady!_ He had hair that was nearly white, same as his beard. He wore a blue robe, and his face was seamed with many wrinkles.

_Eudorus,_ she cried, running to him. She embraced him and kissed his brow.

_My Lady, I have sorrowful news for you._ Eudorus hung his head, a tear dripping from his eye. It was a sign of his extreme sorrow that he had allowed himself to cry.

_What is it? _ she asked, and Achilles could see that her joy in seeing her father figure was dampened.

_Enyo and Areia had a good long life. They lived about fifty years, a miracle for a horse. Both of them crossed the River Styx last night._ Briseis raised her head, her face white and drawn. She had grey streaks in her black hair, and crow's feet were etched at the corners of her eyes.

_They will be buried with full honors. Coins will be placed on their eyes for the Boatman, and their bodies will be laid in the tomb I have cut from the rock for my own body._

Priam sighed and looked around, startled. He hoped that the two new arrivals, wherever they were, would not be too bloodthirsty in death as in life. Achilles and Hector sighed and went to find the two horses, and bring them into the Realms of the Dead. He hoped that they would be able to keep from trying to devour anything and everything. Then he sat back to watch the rest of his nieces' life.

Briseis lay on her bed, coughing up mucus. Her hair, once raven-wing black, was now snowy white. Her skin was thin as leaf-skeletons, and her eyes were almost sightless. She couldn't remember the names of the new Myrmidons, and often called for her old friend Eudorus, who had died many years before. It hurt Theogone's heart to see her mother like this, and the old woman was often taken to lapsing in silence and reliving the past.

"Eudorus," Briseis rasped.

"Mother, he's not here."

"I'll wait then until he comes. I have instructions for him."

"Mother, he won't come."

"Yes he will. He's been a good and loyal friend. I have one more order for him before I cross the River Styx."

"Mother..." Theogone sobbed. Finally, she fled, not being able to look at her mother like this.

"What is it, Theogone?" Calus, her Myrmidon husband, asked.

"She's crying for Eudorus again. She won't let herself go until he's by her side so she can tell him some instructions or other."

"Gods. He died of old age about twenty years ago!"

"Eudorus had always been there for her, and it was a hard blow when he died." Hecubae and her husband Horemheb trotted up.

"Is Cousin Briseis crying for Eudorus again? I think I have a solution."

"What is it? Anything to help Mother," Theogone said.

"Calus can pose as Eudorus. She won't know the difference anymore."

"It's worth a shot."

"I hope it works. Otherwise she'll be sad and impossible to deal with!" Cedalione, Theogone's granddaughter, said. "Go on, Grandfather. We'll stay here."

Calus squared his shoulders, wiped his streaming eyes, and entered the dying woman's room.

"My Lady Briseis," Calus began.

"Eudorus?" Briseis asked.

"Yes."

"Thank the Gods. I want you to watch over Theogone as you have me. I hope she doesn't make too many mistakes as Queen of Kings. You know how young and rash she is. Promise me. This is the last order I give you,"

"I promise, My Lady. It has been my life's honor to serve you, Lady Briseis." Calus couldn't hold back the tears any longer, and they streamed down his face and into his graying beard.

"Thank you, Eudorus. You have been a good and loyal friend, for all the time I've known you." She reached up weakening arms and grasped Calus' shoulders, bringing his head down so she could kiss his brow. Then, she lay her arms by her sides, and she rested her head on the pillow, falling into her eternal sleep.

The sand was soft under her feet as she stood on the beach waiting for the ferry. When Charon got there, he admitted her quickly. She saw that there was a rip in his robes near the neck, in the shape of equine teeth. One of his hands was scarred and pockmarked and his arm was ripped up. _Enyo, Areia,_ she thought sadly. They had died thirty years before, and she had sorely missed their presence to liven up her life.

"Thank goodness you're here now," a voice rasped from Charon's hood. "That Myrmidon has those monsters under somewhat control, but they've rescently eaten fifteen spirits of people who were going to be reborn into new bodies!"

"Enyo and Areia. Why am I not surprised?" She handed the boatman her coins, and lifted her skirt in order to board the vessil. "I'm looking forward to seeing them again," she whispered.

When she disembarked and got into the Halls, she looked about in the hallway, seeing torchlight flickering on the walls. A young man with golden hair and tanned skin walked down the hall, beaming. Briseis took one look at him, and sprinted for him. "Achilles!" she cried. He scooped her up in his arms, and kissed her.

"I've missed you, Briseis, my Queen of Kings," he whispered in her ear.

"And I you," she replied, before hearing the clop of hooves and the ecstatic neigh of two horses. She looked up to see Enyo and Areia sprinting down the hall, Eudorus clinging to Areia's mane and beaming.

"My Lady Briseis!" he cried. He slipped from the diabolical mare's back and stood near her. She took his head in her hands and kissed his brow gently.

"It's good to be home, with my family; where I belong," she said as Priam, Hector, her parents, and Patroclus came up, followed by the original Myrmidons and all of those who had served under her when she was in charge. She kissed each one of them on the forehead, and walked into the Halls of Mandos. She was home.

_**Celebwen Telcontar: How was that?**_

_**Balrog: Alright, I guess. Could have been worse.**_


End file.
